Mind blowing Facts, Information & Articles

The first, the Giant Western, was a giant in its time but was less than 1/100th the size of the Queen Mary 2, which is 345.03m long. The Great Eastern measured 211m and the Titanic was 269m long. Weights given are the weight of the ship when empty, without cargo, crew passengers and supplies. Some of these ships are still sailing, but many have been scrapped. The Titanic and Lusitania both sank with the loss of many lives.

Ship

Launched

Weight (tons)

Great Western

1838

1,340

President

1840

2,360

Great Britain

1845

3,448

Great Eastern

1858

18,914

Oceanic

1899

17,274

Baltic

1904

23,884

Lusitania

1907

31,550

Mauretania

1907

31,938

Titanic

1912

46,232

Bismarck/Majestic/Caledonia*

1922

56,621

Normandie/Lafayette*

1935

79,301

Queen Elizabeth

1938

83,673

Voyager of the Seas

1999

137,276

Explorer of the Seas

2000

137,308

Navigator of the Seas

2002

138,279

Queen Mary 2

2003

142,000

Freedom of the Seas

2006

158,000

* Renamed

Top Speeds:

Rowing eight-

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race is rowed annually on the River Thames, London, and covers 6.8km. The Oxford crew won in 1998 in a record time of 16 minutes 19 seconds, equivalent to a speed of 25km/h.

Aircraft carrier-

Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carriers of US Navy can travel at more than 56km/h.

Submarine-

Russian Alfa class nuclear submarines could probably travel at 83.4km/h, but these are no longer in use. US Navy Los Angeles class subs are said to achieve 74km/hr, but the precise figures are military secrets.

Sailing vessel-

During the 19th century clippers could average 36.63km/h. The modern sailing yacht record is held by Simon McKeon and Tim Daddo of Australia. On 26 October 11993 they sailed their yacht Yellow Pages Endeavourat 86.21km/hr.

Car ferry-

The Spanish-built Australian catamaran Luciano Federico L can carry 52 cars and 450 passengers at a top speed of 107km/h.

Hovercraft-

On 25 January 1980 a US Navy Bell SES-1008 experimental vehicle achieved a speed of 107km/h.

Hydroplane-

These super-fast racing motor boats are capable of remarkable speeds: Dave Villwock set a new record average speed of 343.5km/h in Miss Budweiser at Oroville, California, USA, on 13 March 2004.

Ocean Liners-

Steam ships began carrying passengers across the Atlantic between Europe and the USA from 1838 onwards. In the early years, the journey (about 4,828km) could take 18 days or longer. Shipping companies competed with each other and the fastest ship carried a Blue Flag or Blue Riband. There were separate Blue Ribands for westbound and eastbound crossings, and after 1934 an award, the Hales Trophy, was presented to the ship with the fastest average speed. In 1952 the newly launched liner SS United States won both the westbound and eastbound Blue Riband with a time of 3 days 10 hours 40 minutes, and the Hales Trophy with an average speed of 65.9km/h. Cat-Link V, a Danish catamaran ferry, is the current Blue Riband and Hales Trophy holder. With an average speed of 76.5km/h it set a new transatlantic record of just 2 days, 20 hours and 9 minutes.

Types of ships:

Passenger and commercial ships:

Barge- This name is used of carious types of ship, ranging from a slow canal boat to a small sailing cargo boat or a decorated rowing boat used by royalty.

Catamaran- A boat with two hulls side by side. There are different types of catamaran, including ferries and yachts.

Container ship- A cargo ship designed to carry standard-sized containers, making it easy to load and unload.Ferry- A ship that takes passengers and vehicles from one port to another.Galleon- A medieval sailing ship. The word was first used in 1529.Galley- An ancient warship driven by oars. Biremes have oars on two levels, and triremes on three.Hydrofoil- A boat with a special device to lift its hull out of the water, so increasing speed.Junk- A high-sterned (the stern is the aft or back end), flat bottomed, Chinese or Japanese sailing ship with two or three masts.Liner or cruise ship- An ocean-going ship once used to take passengers on long journeys, such as across the Atlantic. Cruise ships are luxury liners designed to take people on pleasure cruises.Oil tanker- A large vessel that carries oil from oil fields to refineries in other countries.Yacht- A sailing or engine-powered ship used for pleasure cruises or racing.Warships:Aircraft carrier- A warship from which aircraft can take off and land.Cruiser- A medium-sized, fast, long-range warship.Battleship- A large armoured warship.Destroyer- A small fast warship.Frigate- A warship that escorted cargo convoys to protect them from attack by submarines, introduced during World War II.Minesweeper- A naval ship designed to find and destroy mines.Submarine- Military submarines can travel long distances under water to avoid detection, and can fire torpedoes and missiles. Special civilian submarines are used for undersea research.